Forensic entomology uses insects to determine information about a crime scene, based on the principle that insect life stages follow a set pattern. It has been used for thousands of years, and is now a growing discipline. Medical anthropologists study it to improve criminal justice. Flies and beetles are the most commonly found insects at a death scene, and their presence can indicate how long a body has been dead. Using this information, scientists can estimate the time of death and prosecute criminals effectively.
Forensic entomology is a field of science that uses insects to gather information about a crime scene. The discipline has been around for thousands of years, although forensic entomology was only integrated into Western science in the 19th century. Forensic entomology is based on the principle that insect life stages follow a set pattern, and therefore insects found at the crime scene can provide information about the time and place of a person’s death.
Forensic entomology is just one part of medical anthropology, which examines a variety of specific items at the death scene to gain a deeper understanding of them. Medical anthropologists study everything from ancient burial sites to modern crime scenes. Several universities around the world have programs to study and research medical anthropology in hopes of improving criminal justice.
In the East, a long tradition accompanies forensic entomology. Some Buddhist monasteries encourage their monks to contemplate the dead in all stages of decay. Monks have been writing about insects at the decay scene for thousands of years. In 1235 AD, a Chinese forensic investigator named Sung Tz’u wrote a crime scene book called The Wash Away of Wrongs. The text included references to forensic entomology, suggesting that it was included in Chinese investigative techniques.
Forensic entomology in the West has its roots in a series of experiments performed by Francesco Redi in the 17th century. He was curious about the colonization of rotting meat by insects and exhibited samples of meat that had been protected from insect invaders alongside samples that had been exposed. He discovered that protected meat simply rotted, while exposed meat was colonized by a variety of insects, thus disproving the theory of spontaneous generation. This theory had held that insects simply appeared in meat that was stored under the right conditions.
In 1855, forensic entomology was again used in the case of a child’s corpse which had been found sealed inside a wall. The collection of bugs around the body led investigators to believe the body had been there for several years, which meant that the current residents of the house were unlikely to be responsible for the crime. The value of science was seen and began to be studied more carefully.
Forensic entomology is a growing discipline, and many medical anthropologists make their services available to police departments that cannot invest in their own forensic entomology program. Detectives collect insect samples from the entire crime scene and body, trying to collect a broad spectrum of insects for the most accurate results.
The two insect families most commonly found at the scene of death are flies and beetles. The investigators examine the bugs to determine how long they have been colonizing the body. Flies, for example, can be distinguished by generation. Worms in the first stage, or instar, have probably only been on the site for a few days. Worms in later stages indicate that the body has been dead for some time, because several generations of worms have reproduced. The presence of beetles on the body indicates that an even longer period has passed.
Using knowledge of how long it takes insects to develop, coupled with weather conditions, scientists can estimate the time of death. Because flies mature at a very fixed rate, scientists can often pin the time of death to a small window of a few days. Forensic entomology has been used in many criminal cases to effectively prosecute criminals.
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